1. Heath Miller - does it all. he wins games for us. he's #2 to ben on O.
2. Ryan Clark - he lays people out. gives everything he's got. so underrated.
3. James Farrior - steady eddy. and he trains so hard for an old guy. this is the guy i would least like to be tackled by. he's a killa in the middle.
4. Troy - brings a gun to a knife fight every play
5. Ben - ok, he should really be #1, i tucked him down here so he knows he still has a ways to go to impress flippy
6. Ward - the hunter of hunters
7. FWP - races pit bulls and been winning since he was 2
8. ok I'll admit it, this one is hard and I might as well put the whole pay role on here subject to re-oredering

1. Big Ben--the Alpha and Omega
2. Ward-the heart and soul
3. Timmons--the soon to be released tactical nuclear weapon
4. Woodley--the beast
5. Troy--class, skill and rare god given talent
6. Bonus: Mike Tomlin--he is a difference maker and will prove to eventually challenge the success of Chuck Noll. No ego. Work ethic. he realizes it is about the Steelers not Mike Tomlin getting his picture on TV during games.

RuthlessBurgher

07-17-2009, 04:39 PM

You nailed the top 4 most important (and put them in the correct order as well), but you can't say that Timmons is most important when he was only a part time player for us last year. Woodley is more important, and so is Farrior at this point. If Harrison, Woodley, and Farrior dominate like they are able to, Timmons is not absolutely vital...the extra that he will be able to give us this season is gravy.

You nailed the top 4 most important (and put them in the correct order as well), but you can't say that Timmons is most important when he was only a part time player for us last year. Woodley is more important, and so is Farrior at this point. If Harrison, Woodley, and Farrior dominate like they are able to, Timmons is not absolutely vital...the extra that he will be able to give us this season is gravy.

I give Timmons credit for Troy being better. He frees up Troy to be great. And Timmons has huge impact when he's in there. I almost went Miller #5 like Ovy 1 Kenobe did. But then I realized, Ben would still carry the O without him.

I shoulda called Timmy Mr Splash.

SteelCzar76

07-17-2009, 06:11 PM

Five most important hands down are,...

Hamp

Aaron

Harrison

Woodley

Troy

Why ?,....Because the strength of our pass rush dictates the success or our failure as a whole on defense. It,.. along with Troy's elite play protects the rest of our suspect db's from being absolutely victimized by any solid offensive unit.

And in reality whether anyone wants to admit it or not,... we are more often than not whoafully ineffective on offense though we have a few very talented players there.

Bottom line,....without our defense playing lights out,.. this team could very much be of "losing badly in a wildcard game" quality at it's very best.

Five favorites,

Troy: Trojan whom is best in the biz,..and has helped almost redefine the position.

Aaron: Is an absolute beast whom is consistent.

Lamar: Could go on to be one of the best pass rushing lb's we've ever had.

Santo: Kid shows up whenever it counts

Potsie: One of the best pure inside backers of the past 10 years. Passionate leader.

RuthlessBurgher

07-17-2009, 06:37 PM

Five most important hands down are,...

Hamp

Aaron

Harrison

Woodley

Troy

They are all important parts of a great defenses. But we have had great defenses before with Maddox, Stewart, Tomczak, O'Donnell, etc. and were not able to take home any hardware. Ben has to be #1 most important. His arrival changed it all.

ramblinjim

07-17-2009, 09:33 PM

Five most important:

1.) Ben - we win and lose with Big Ben
2.) Aaron Smith - Without him, we gave up five yards per carry
3.) Hines Ward - Leadership leadership leadership
4.) Troy - Allows our mad scientist D Coordinator to cook up something cool every week
5.) Woodley - His growth as a player will help determine our LB'ing corps greatness.
6.) Ziggy - His quick development could really help our team in the long run

Favorite:

1.) Silverback - Give me meanest mother on the field any day.
2.) Hines - Maybe the second meanest mother on the field any day.
3.) Ben - We don't win without him
4.) Ike - Second day draft pick, small school, no experience, our best corner since Woodson. He's not perfect but I've always liked the guy.
5.) Farrior - Ageless, makes the defensive calls, works like a horse, hits like a truck. Hopefully he'll give us a few more years.
6.) Troy - everyone has him higher and I love the guy too, I was just trying to switch it up a little bit. :tt2

dirt

07-17-2009, 09:35 PM

5 most important: I think you've got to think about who their replacements are.

1. Ben. With Batch we're still a good team because of our d, but we're not winning any superbowls.

2. James Harrison. We have no one who can come close to replacing him.

3. Aaron Smith. It's too early to know what Ziggy can do. Our run d really suffers without him.

4. Troy. Carter can hold down the fort, but nobody is as dynamic as Troy.

5. Hines. Nobody replaces his toughness, blocking and clutch catches.

5 favorites

1. Hines. Love that he blocks, catches, takes a hit... all with a smile.

2. James Harrison. He's mean. Very mean.

3. Troy. Never seen a player make the plays he does.

4. Ben. Clutch.

5. Aaron Smith. Never gets the recognition he deserves, but we don't have the same defense without him.

So, the same 5 but in slightly different order.

Steel Life

07-18-2009, 12:59 AM

Five most important:

1. Ben - The straw that stirs the drink...drink the kool-aid!
2. Hines Ward - Not just the heart & soul of the team...but it's confidence.
3. Max Starks - His ability to handle LT is the key to the season.
4. Troy - With him we're elite, without him...top 10.
5. Aaron Smith - Simply the rock on which our D is built.

There's something else though that I can't leave off...
*6. Harrison & Woodley - Their health is critical this season...we have no depth & without them our defense loses it's teeth.

Favorite:

1. Hines - Plays the game with joy & grit...more should follow his example.
2. Ben - Even after 2 SB's, he still seems like the underdog...& who doesn't root for the underdog?
3. Harrison - Isn't it great to have baddest man in the league on our team?
4. Troy - Seeing him flying around & making great plays is why we love him.
5. Heath - He's amazingly consistent & yet still underrated...plus he's a UVA man!

Lastly, I pick a rookie or UDFA to pull for every year, & this year it's...
6. Frank (the Tank) Summers - I've been excited about this kid ever since hearing the reports the team was working him out. From his Bettis-like build & his Bettis-like nickname...here's hoping the kid turns out to be everything we hope!

papillon

07-19-2009, 10:35 PM

5 most important

1 Omar Khan (Needs to find a way to keep this team together)
2 Kevin colbert (Needs to continue to harvest talent late in the draft)
3 Ben (Duh, no Super Bowls in the past 4 years w/o him)
4 Silverback (Gets the offense many opportunities)
5 Holmes (Going to make it easy on the running game, since we now set up the run w/ the pass)

5 favorite

Silverback (from UDFA to DPoTY and just plain mean)
Woodley (fun to watch, not many tackles can deal with him)
Troy (Ronnie Lott and then they'll be mentioning Troy)
Ward (the most defensive offensive player ever he loves to hit, love him)
Ben (He makes the game exciting to watch, it will be a bummer when he hangs them up)

Pappy

MeetJoeGreene

07-20-2009, 08:32 AM

Most Important:

1. Ben -- duh
2. Troy - duh
3. Aaron Smith
4. James Harrison
5. Ward (if Ward can still perform, he is still a heart and soul. And will prevent teams from doubleteaming Santonio)

1) Ben - He is the alpha & the omega. Prior to Mr. Roethlisberger we had not won a Super Bowl in 26 years....with him we have 2 in 5 years. He is the leader of this team and without him we would be up a creek with no paddles.

2) Aaron - we all witnessed a couple of years ago what happens to our defense when he is not on the field. Here's hoping Ziggy is what we all want him to be because Aaron will not play forever.

3) Troy - he is what makes our defense special. He makes OC's stay up all night trying to game plan for him and he always seems to make the big play when it matters.

4) Max - he is the key to our offensive success this year. If Mr. Starks can continue to do what he did last year in the playoffs then our O-Line may not be as bad as we all think it is.

5) Jimmy Hate from Kent State (that's for you Hoppy) - he creates great opportunities for both the offense and the defense. He is unstoppable at times.

Favorite:

1) Hines Ward - my favorite Steeler of all time. He spans all eras of football and his attitude is great. Love that he plays with a smile, and he could have played this game in the 40's and 50's let alone fit in with the Steel Curtain dynasty in the 70's.

3) Troy - there is just something about him that scares our opponents and brings us in the nation joy. Gotta love it.

4) Jimmy Hate - How awesome is it that one of the great Steelers seasons and plays of all time came from a local Akron area guy! This guy is awesome. I remember him playing in High School here in Summit County, and now he is a pro-bowler with the Steelers....how cool is that???

5) Lamarr Woodley - This one is hard for me to swallow considering he is a UM alum but hey what can I say the guy produces and is one of the real up and coming players in the league. He will be wrecking havoc for the Steelers for years!!!

ikestops85

07-20-2009, 03:24 PM

Most Important

1) Harrison - just a beast who can't be legally blocked
2) Woodley - the bookend that guarantees QB pressure and makes our system work
3) Troy - I think people forgot how good a d-back he is since he had been playing so much at the LOS.
4) Ben - Plain and simple ... we don't win SB's without him
5) Ward - just a clutch player

Favorite

1) Ward - epitomizes Steeler football
2) Farrior - the glue to a great defense
3) Miller - most under-rated player in the league
4) Ben - how can you NOT like him?
5) Clark - he just plays the game hard

I can't believe I've only seen 1 O-lineman picked. :D

Oviedo

07-20-2009, 04:19 PM

I can't believe I've only seen 1 O-lineman picked. :D

I think that is because the success of an OL is not about individual performance but group performance, cohesion and syncrhonization. That is why OLs get better with stability over time.

Lonbull

07-28-2009, 07:52 PM

5 Most Important -

Ben Roethlisberger - He won a Super Bowl behind a spotty Offensive Line and with the help of 3rd string running backs in the regular season. He never quits on a game or on a play. With him we're contenders, without him we could be looking at a top 15 draft pick.

Troy Polamalu - He takes this defense to a different level. His speed and instincts make him a walking mismatch for Offensive Coordinators. He's waiting for you to make a mistake so he can seal up the game.

James Harrison - and here's the guy pressuring you to make that mistake. Harrison (IMO) is the second coming of Jack Lambert, or at least as close to it as you can get in this era. Mean, Nasty and it appears as if he's playing football like if he doesn't win you're taking food out of the mouths of his family. Harrison brings a kind of nastiness to a defense that can't be taught or faked. Somewhere along the way Quarterbacks began to not worry so much about the INT they might throw to Troy and started worring about being stripped by an unblockable force.

Santonio Holmes - I think there's a lot riding on Holmes this season. He may need to pick up the slack for a missing Nate Washington, he has to pick up the slack for an aging Hines Ward, and without his playoff and Super Bowl performance it's difficult to tell what would have been. It isn't a question of "if" Holmes will step up - he did that already and he did it at the perfect time. The question is how will he follow it up?

Lawrence Timmons - It's up to Timmons to improve the position he takes over for Larry Foote. His importance is about being ready and proving he's worth the patience, the draft pick and the money. You're a 1st round pick L.T. now let's see you play like one.

*** (6th) Ike Taylor - I only included Timmons because he has a questionable role to fill this season, making his play "more important". However outside of that I think Ike Taylor would easily be in the 5th spot. He's often overlooked nationally but he does so much for this defense and he certainly gives us the option of going one on one with some of the best WR's in the league.

5 Favorites -

Jeff Reed - I still remember kickers in Pittsburgh struggling with relatively easy Field Goals - due to "swirling winds". Reed has been a consistent kicker now for several years and I feel he's heavily underrated for a guy who predominately kicks in horrible weather. Currently he has a better FG % than Gary Anderson's career % or even his % with Pittsburgh in his younger days.

Hines Ward - I know deep down I would probably hate the guy if he played for another team. But with every passing season I get a little depressed thinking that Hines only has a few more years playing at this level. When the Steelers were pretty lousy in late 90's Hines Ward was the one guy you knew was going to put everything he had on the field of play.

Heath Miller - Heath plays with so much hustle, and he really does seem to do whatever's best for the team. If our offensive line were better I think he'd certainly get more looks as a receiving TE. He's just an all around team player. One day his hustle is going to be a difference maker - I just know it.

LaMarr Woodley - I seriously still can't believe we picked this guy up in the second round! I've enjoyed watching LaMarr since his Michigan days and I really think he's one of those players who has endeared himself to Pittsburgh fans very quickly.

(Insert Favorite Rookie or 1st Year Long Shot) - I unashamedly will admit I'm a sucker for a Pre-Season story. Yes I'm that guy who puts a little too much stock in watching a player do very well in a preseason game against scrubs...and that's just how I roll. Going into the Pre-season I'm giving Martin Nance the early chance to show me something. He's not a rookie but I'm hoping he comes in and just electrifies the place.

(6th) Willie Parker - When the glow of my Rookie Love fades (go ahead make fun of the usage of Rookie Love) but Willie Parker is another guy that goes down as one of my All-Time favorites. He works his tail off and when he's healthy with a decent line in front of him he can be just as dangerous as any starting Running Back in the league.